News

04/30/2012 8:40 AM - Springfield, Mass.- The American Hockey League has released the schedules for the best-of-seven conference semifinal round of the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs.

Three series were announced previously on Friday evening. The fourth was finalized on Saturday when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defeated the Hershey Bears, 2-1, in the decisive Game 5 of their conference quarterfinal.

The eight teams remaining in the hunt for the Calder Cup are the Norfolk Admirals (top affiliate of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning), the St. John's IceCaps (Winnipeg Jets), the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins), the Connecticut Whale (New York Rangers), the Oklahoma City Barons (Edmonton Oilers), the Toronto Marlies (Toronto Maple Leafs), the Abbotsford Heat (Calgary Flames) and the San Antonio Rampage (Florida Panthers).

In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 85 percent of all players competing in the NHL are AHL graduates, and through the years the American Hockey League has been home to more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.